The Capictor Frustration
by jedimasterathena
Summary: A Capacitor physically separates opposite charges, even when all they want to do is attract. SHENNY!
1. Early Morning

**The Capacitor Frustration**

**AN: Okay, a bit of background for those of you, like me, who write fanfic to keep from falling asleep in your physics class… A capacitor is designed so that a battery is connected to two insulators that are physically separated. Thus, opposite, attractive charges develop on either side of the insulators creating a uniform field of force between them since they can't come together. Put it together with everybody's favorite lanky physicist and the lovely blonde from across the hall and you've got some unresolved tension (suggestive eyebrows).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Big Bang Theory…sigh…**

**The Capacitor Frustration**

"Mm," smiled Penny as she rolled over in bed. The new location of her eyes allowed the sunlight to stream through her eyelids. It hurt.

With a groan, Penny pulled herself up. Squinting at the wall and still breathing too slowly to move, she tried to remember her dream. It had been a good one and she was frustrated at the day for tearing her away from it. After ten minutes, she gave up. All she had managed to capture was the smell of baby powder and bright flashes of blue. With a heavy heart, she stood and headed to the kitchen, one thought occupying her mind: coffee.

"Ugh," Penny grunted as she let her head roll back and forward again. She was out. Fan-friggin-tastic.

She held her head as she opened the fridge in one last effort of desperation. She grabbed the carton of milk and opened it. Definitely, not, she tossed the whole thing into the garbage can.

"Pfhfhfht," Penny stuck her tongue out to the world. She was too damn tired to deal with anything right now. Finally, she rummaged around her apartment searching for the spare key to 4A. Leonard always had coffee.

…

A metallic crash woke Sheldon from his sleep. He bolted upright, ears straining for another sound. All that met him was the quiet still of his bedroom until a curse made its way to his room. Sheldon sighed in relief. It was only Penny. He slipped out of bed and headed to the kitchen, unable to controll the smile on his face.

…

Penny had tried to be quiet, she really had. She stared viciously down at the spoon on the floor. She picked it up and placed it in the sink, continuuing with her cofee preparation. With any luck, she hadn't woken Sheldon.

"Good morning, Penny," Too late. She looked up at him. His hair was messy from sleep and he was, as he was every morning, dressed in his plaid robe and pajamas. Adorable really; like a child. She smiled.

"Hey, Sweetie," she took a sip from her cup and let the warmth spread down her throat and through her body. C'mon, caffeine.

"I presume you are out of coffee and used your spare key to enter our apartment, uninvited, and take some of ours?" He treaded with obvious nonchalance to the fridge to retrieve the carton of orange juice.

"And the milk was bad."

"Of course," He flashed her a casual look of haughtiness, but she caught the twinkle in his eyes and delighted in his attempt at humor.

She said nothing more, rather, she watched him reach for his box of cereal. Well, reach was an overstatement. He was so tall, Penny noticed, he hardly had to reach. Fascinating, she quoted Sheldon in her head; she always had to reach the high shelves for Leonard. She continued to observe him pour his bowl of ceral and sit gingerly on a stool across the counter from where she was hunched. She offered him a smile of welcome and he sent it right back. She felt so accustomed to the cornflower blue of his eyes. Yes, she saw them everyday, but, today, it was as if it had been only moments since she had looked deeply into his clear irises. A sense of déjà vu overcame her as she struggled to recall the previous night's dream.

…

"Good morning, Penny," Sighed Sheldon as he padded on slippered feet into the kitchen.

"Hey, Sweetie," it was a sweet and sonorous sound. Penny brought the mug of coffee to her lips.

"I presume you are out of coffee and used your spare key to enter our apartment, uninvited, and take some of ours?" He pulled the carton of orange juice out of the fridge.

Penny just snapped her fingers and pointed at him in confirmation, "And the milk was bad."

"Of course," Sheldon nodded his head at her. He was not angry. He was not even slightly annoyed.

He sipped his juice. Penny drank her coffee. The Pasadena Saturday morning was quiet and calm. There was no air of awkwardness to charge the air. As he reached for the box of cereal, Sheldon admitted to himself, he rather enjoyed this time between the two of them. Penny didn't jabber on about shoes, or men, or Nebraska. And he didn't offer anecdotes on physics, or comic books, or manners. Sheldon simply took a seat at the counter and munched contentedly on his cereal. Penny smiled at him, no doubt, also thankful for the companionable silence. Her eyes sparkled under tired eyes and Sheldon noticed the perfect shape of her lips. He smiled back to her.

"Hello, everyone," a grumbling voice disrupted the peace of the moment. Penny stood straight and Sheldon averted his eyes to stare into the cereal.

"Sheldon," said Leonard, pouring his own cup of coffee, "it's Saturday."

"Yes," Sheldon already knew where Leonard was going with this, but still resisted.

"You're going to miss Dr. Who," Leonard stared at his roomate through his glasses.

"Right you are," Sheldon reluctantly placed his spoon in his bowl and stood, "Thank you, Leonard," he gave a fake smile and took his spot on the couch. As he sat, he disguised his sigh of frustration as a sigh of comfort.

…

Penny watched Sheldon walk away. She knew he would always choose his Saturday morning Dr. Who over her. That was simply…Sheldon. She furrowed her eyes into the living room of the apartment, wishing Sheldon would just look up and meet her gaze.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked Leonard.

"Yes," she lied, "just really tired."

**Let me know what you guys think! There will be more chapters of this so stay tuned!**


	2. Laundry Night

**AN: sorry it has taken me so long to update. I've started a new Star Wars project that took a lot of my time. But here you go! R and R! **

"Oh, hello, Penny!" Sheldon stepped into the hallway, meeting Penny with a smile as she left her apartment. She wore a purple cocktail dress and her hair was up in fun curls.

"Hey, Sheldon." Penny slipped a lipgloss into a small purple clutch. She looked at the laundry basket he held in his arms. "Going to do some laundry?"

"It is eight-fifteen on a Saturday and I am holding a basket full of soiled clothes and detergent. The logical presumption is that I am going to do laundry."

Penny glared at him under furrowed brows; to which Sheldon laughed shakily.

"And you will be partaking in a night of alcohol and dancing?"

"Since I am dressed like this, the logical presumption is that I am going to a club, yes." Her green eyes sparkled at him, but his blue irises seemed to fade.

"I had thought as much. I guess I will be spending laundry night alone this week." Sheldon would never admit that he enjoyed Penny's company when they did their laundry together.

"Maybe Leonard will go with you if you ask nicely."

"No, Leonard is out with Priya tonight."

"Oh," was all Penny said as she tried to hide the pang of…was it hurt? Supprisingly, it didn't hurt. It felt more like excitement and caused her pulse to jump. "What about Raj and Howard?"

"Wolowitz and Koonthrappali are at an all-night Star Trek marathon to which I wasn't invited." Sheldon's eyes fell to the contents of the basket.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie, how about this: next Saturday I'll do laundry with you."

"Together?"

"Yes, it'll be-"

"Alright, Penny you ready to go?" A tall brawny man stepped out of Penny's apartment. Sheldon swallowed nervously.

"Yeah," The man looped an arm around Penny's waist ang guided her towards the stairs.

_It'll be a date, _Penny thought to herself as she left Sheldon standing at his door.


	3. Taking Care

It was nearly two in the morning when Sheldon was rousted from his sleep. He sat up and looked around through sleep clouded eyes. It seemed he had falled dosed off on the couch and the Battle Star Galactica DVD had returned to the menu screen. Sheldon lifted the remote and turned off the televisison. Another crash and grunt sounded from the hallway. Sheldon's first thought was burglary. He quietly stood and shuffled to the closet. Pulling out the Boba Fett helmet he slipped it over his head. Sheldon frantically searched for the lightsaber, but Leonard had taken to keeping it in his room. In its stead, Sheldon opted for a sword from Game of Thrones. He shut the door quietly as his ears detected a sound that was something between a rusty hinges and someone gargling water. It was followed by crazed mumbling and thumping.

Carefully, he approached the door to the apartment. Sheldon stood crouched over it with his hand hovering just above the knob and his ear pressed against it. He listened for another noise and then recognized a familiar voice.

Qith great apprehension, Sheldon slowly opened the door. Penny was at her door, her back to him, trying to get her key into the lock. She was mumbling to herself with a drunkard's speech and trying to breathe around teary sobs.

"Penny?" He called out to her in what he hoped was a soothing tone.

She spun around and looked at him. Her mascara was running and her face was contortioned into an expression onf pitiful pain and dejection.

"Penny," Sheldon tried again, "Are you alright?"

"Oh," she slurred, "Hey, Sweetie." She gave him a forced smile.

"Where is you're uh date?" Sheldon peeped down the stairwell for any sight of a six-foot piece of beef jerky.

"Oh, I don't know," she swung her arms around a bit, "Probrably hooking up with that red head from the club! He had his tongue down her throught when I left him." Her movement was too much and she wobbled a bit. Sheldon stepped forward, ready to catch her. Penny merely stuck out her right arm, elbows stiff, and steadied herself against his chest.

…

Penny was going to throw up. It had been a night of bad choices. She head gone out with a jerk, drank far too much, and then tried to get revenge by dancing with a guy who smelled like he'd just come from a fish fry. The memory made the muscles in her stomach clench. She closed her eyes and waited for the onslaught as she propped herself against Sheldon. Poor Sheldon. Here she was drunk and ready to hurl all over his pajama robe.

But the blitzkrieg of drunken vomit never came. As Penny took deep breaths to settle the chaos goin on inside her, she inhaled the comforting scent of baby powder. The talc calmed her stomach and she was able to stand on her own feet, eyes still closed, still inhaling.

Sheldon kept a slight hold on her as he slipped her keys out of her hand and opened her door. With gentle hands, he half led half carried her into her apartment. Shutting the door behind him, Sheldon turned to keep a close eye on the wandering Penny.

"Will you be alright?" he asked, obviously comfortable.

Penny could not manage a reply, but instead hung her head at him. She knew it was late and that she had proprably woken him up, but she couldn't seem to let go of his comforting presence. He rolled his eyes and stepped away from the door. Without her saying anything, he went into her bathroom and come back with a warm washcloth.

"For the impressionist painting falling from your eyes,"

Like a small child, she took it and did as she was told. She watched as he rummaged around in the kitchen until he found a jar of pretzels. He brought a few to her in a cup along with a glass of water.

"You didn't have any seltzer, so this is the best I can do for your nausea." She gladly exchanged the towel for the snack and began nibbling on a pretzel. "Give me your shoes. We don't want you tripping." He held out his hand and she relinquished her heels. He carried them to her bedroom, gathering laundry and straightening things up as she went.

Penny watched Sheldon from her position on the couch as he flitted about the apartment. She didn't say anything, only watched. Though she would never admit it, she enjoyed Sheldon. He took care of her. He was always there when he needed her. Whether she was locked out, sick, injured, or just in need of company, Penny could always count on Sheldon to be there when it mattered and always with a remedy. She smiled to herself as he came back into the living room. When he had emerged form his apartment she really had been so damn pleased to see him.

Sheldon approached her and held out his hand.

"What?" Her mind was not functioning well enough for her to understand the simple gesture.

"You need to change clothes."

"Okay," she let him pull her up and pull her into her bedroom. On her bed, Sheldon had lain out pajamas.

"I trust you will be able to manage this on your own." Penny nodded as he left her alone with her thoughts.

She dressed slowly. She'd been drunker than this before and managed herself just fine, but this time was a game, a way of pretending. This was a way of keeping Sheldon with her just a minute longer.

After she had dressed and Sheldon had rejoined her in the room, He stood abover her, looking down at her still-smeary makeup, loose pajama t-shirt. Penny felt supprising self concious as he shook his head.

"Bathroom," was all he said.

Sheldon forced her to properly wash her face and brush her teeth. She had tried to complain, to which he simply responded, "Do you have any idea what microbes are festering in your mouth?" and made her floss and rins with mouthwash as well. Penny looked in the mirror at Sheldon as she swished the Crest in her mouth. She made faces at him and had to spit out the rinse because she was laughing. Sheldon, however, was not laughing; his blue eyes stared back at her. The blue irises were a calm center that kept her grounded.

As she looked into his eyes, Penny understood why he was still here. There was affection in his eyes. A sense of responsibility and mutual understanding that comes with friendship. She realized that this did not satisfy her, but quickly pushed the feeling of inadequacy behind her. Penny was lucky to have a friend like Sheldon. She turned around to look at him, his gaze unhindered by the mirror.

"I'm done," she whispered.

"Good." Sheldon leaned in close and reached his arms over her shoudlers and Penny felt his hands in her hair. For a moment, she had her whole heart set on the idea that Sheldon was going to kiss her. She closed her eyes and waited for what she imagined would be the soft caress of his lips.

It never came.

Penny felt her hair fall down and cascade around her as Sheldon pulled away from her.

"It would get tangled."

Penny could feel the blush of embarrassment and hoped that Sheldon could not see. Or, if he had, that he would not understand its meaning. Penny turned away from him and plodded over to her bed. In an instant he was there before her, pulling back the covers and smoothing her sheets. With a sigh of ecstasy, she slid down into the soft mattress and rested her weary head against the pillows. Again she watched Sheldon as he pulled the covers over her and tucked the sides in tight against her. She felt like a child again. It had been a long night, but now she was safe, warm, and comfortable in her own bed.

"Thank you, Sheldon."

"Of course, Penny, always." He turned off the light, leaving only the lamp on. When he walked back to the bed, Peny could have kissed him with gratitude, but she wouldn't. She was drunk, he was just taking care of her. Besides, he would probrably make her brush her teeth again. So, she forced herself to be content with what they had, and closed her eyes

…

"Sheldon," Sheldon heard Penny call his name with her sweet tone of voice just as he was opening the bedroom door to leave.

"Yes?"

"Will you sing Soft Kitty to me?"

"No," he replied, "Soft Kitty is only for when you're sick. You are drunk, not sick." The crashing realization came to me. He had cared for Penny with such tenderness, but why? Because she was drunk and crashing around in the hallway? Because she was his friend?

Because he wanted to. Sheldon would not sing Penny Soft Kitty. He wanted to but he feared he would noo be able to stop. Soft Kitty was too sacred for everyday use. It was a velvet bag of comfort hidden away for when you needed it most. As he looked to Penny who had already fallen asleep, he saw that she hadn't needed Soft Kitty. She had needed him.

He turned out the light and shut the door behind him as he left.

…

Penny woke with a headache, a pounding, frustrating headache. She groaned as she sat up. On her nightstand she saw a bottle of asprin and a glass of water. Once again thanking Sheldon, she walked out into the kitchen. There was coffee in the pot and when she checked her fridge, there was milk. She made her cup of coffee then leaned against the counter as she sipped slowly.


End file.
